Why Russia hasn't reacted to Trump's Greenland takeover bid

When U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. had to instrumentality implicit Greenland arsenic a substance of nationalist security, saying Chinese and Russian ships were "all implicit the place" successful the Arctic region, the comments attracted a swift rebuke from Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian connected Monday deed back, accusing Washington of "using the alleged 'China threat' arsenic a pretext for itself to question selfish gains."

Russia, connected the contrary, has been notably soundless connected Trump's Greenland takeover ambitions and his menace to usage subject unit to prehend the Arctic land if necessary.

The soundlessness emanating from the Kremlin connected the Greenland substance could partially beryllium explained by the information that it's been a vacation play for Russians, with Orthodox Christians celebrating Christmas connected Jan. 7. Russia's enactment has yet to remark connected the seizure of Russian state Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's leader, past weekend.

Russia's overseas ministry issued a connection criticizing the U.S.' "aggressive actions" successful Venezuela, and connected the seizure of a recently Russian-flagged oil tanker successful the Atlantic connected Wednesday. But it excessively has been soundless erstwhile it comes to Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory belonging to Denmark.

Moscow has arguably acold much crushed than China to beryllium vocal astir immoderate imaginable U.S. "takeover" of a elephantine Arctic entity similar Greenland, arsenic Russia has had a laser-like absorption connected rising (and rival) geostrategic interests successful the Arctic in caller years.

That's with bully reason: Russia is the largest Arctic federation by far, spanning 53% of the Arctic Ocean coastline, and it has longstanding geopolitical, strategical and socio-economic interests successful the region.

The Arctic is simply a strategical operator of jobs, investment, and maturation for the Russian system with oil, gas, and mineral extraction industries based there, arsenic good arsenic fisheries and infrastructure and proscription logistics, peculiarly related to the Northern Sea Route — a large Arctic shipping way for Russia betwixt Europe and Asia.

Russia's Arctic interests could good beryllium impacted by the U.S.' fixation connected Greenland, and successful particular, immoderate determination to instrumentality implicit the land by force. But analysts told CNBC that Moscow was much funny successful seeing its eventual extremity — the demolition of NATO — realised.

"The Russian involvement successful Greenland is tiny," Jamie Shea, erstwhile lawman adjunct caput wide for emerging information challenges astatine NATO, told CNBC Wednesday.

"The U.S. would person a larger beingness successful the North Atlantic [if it accrued its beingness successful Greenland] but NATO is already limiting what Russia tin bash successful the High North with Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the U.K. each expanding their subject beingness and capableness successful the region, and Sweden and Finland joining NATO. So not overmuch would alteration for Russia strategically," Shea, an planetary defence and information adept astatine deliberation vessel Chatham House, added.

Putin would beryllium "delighted to spot further divisions and incoherence successful NATO and a monolithic transatlantic situation that could pb the U.S. to halt its enactment for Ukraine and retreat U.S. troops from Europe," the expert noted.

If the U.S. were "tied up successful the Western Hemisphere," that would yet springiness Russia much abstraction to summation its power successful Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Europe. So, connected balance, [it would be] a monolithic triumph for Putin for which helium pays nary price," helium added.

Trump's renewed Greenland bid, and the menace to usage subject force, if necessary, person sent shockwaves done NATO and its European subordinate states this week.

Both Greenland and Denmark person repeatedly told Trump that the land is not up for grabs, oregon up for sale, and that immoderate subject enactment to prehend it would spell the extremity of the NATO alliance.

European leaders person besides pushed backmost against Trump, stating that "it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to determine connected matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is owed to conscionable with Danish officials adjacent week.

The evident alarm among European leaders, and the increasing anticipation of NATO's dissolution, are "an implicit acquisition to Putin," Edward R. Arnold, elder probe chap astatine RUSI, told CNBC.

"Putin's ever known, and Soviet leaders earlier him knew, that Russia can't decision NATO militarily. It's excessively powerful, truthful it needs to decision NATO politically, which is fundamentally to marque Article Five retired to beryllium hollow [and to] effort and determination the U.S. distant from European interests to the constituent that they tin exposure that," helium added.

If Greenland's annexation did go a much realistic prospect, "NATO is efficaciously going to devour itself politically," Arnold added.